With all the news and media frenzy surrounding the untimely death of pop star Michael Jackson at the age of 50, this article takes a look at Michael’s life from a different angle… the role his father Joseph Jackson played in his life.

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When he was 12, his parents separated. He moved to Oakland CA with his father until the age of 18.

Then he moved to Chicago to be near his mother.

He was briefly married, then ended that marriage and married another woman.

He was a crane operator for a steel company, played guitar in a band with his brother, and later returned to his “day job” when the band failed to get a record deal while his wife “tended to the children.”

He discovered his children had musical talent and began to manage their budding careers. As their success increased, he reportedly required his children to call him “Joseph” instead of “father” or “dad.”

Over the years, his children told stories to the media of their dad’s physical and emotional abusiveness to them.

Holding them upside down, tripping them, pushing them into walls, screaming, shouting, and frightening them are just some of the stories they relayed about their father.

One of his sons, Michael,  shared that he often cried from loneliness and would sometimes get sick or start to vomit upon seeing his father.

He recalled that his dad sat in a chair with a belt in his hand when he and his siblings rehearsed and that “if you didn’t do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you.”

Who was this dad? He was Joseph Jackson, the father of the late pop music icon Michael Joseph Jackson.

As millions around the world have followed the recent story of Michael’s death in the news and media, it’s worth reflecting on how Michael’s life, behavior, and tragic death were impacted by the violent, abusive, wounded relationship he had with his father, again reminding us of the power of influence we fathers have in the lives of our children.

According to childhood friend Brooke Shields, Michael Jackson’s favorite song (not one of his own, by the way) was called “Smile” and included a line that said… ”Smile though your heart is aching.”

Life is short. Find healing from your own paternal past. Ask forgiveness where you’ve blown it with your children and spouse. And make the most of your influence in your family for good. Because, fellow dad, only you have “father power.”

Bio Source:

http://www.information.is-the-coolest.com/x/Joseph_Jackson.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jackson

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Joey Watkins is a husband, father of four children, and founder of FamilyDads, a dad-founded and dad-focused organization committed to helping dads prioritize and lead their family. In a culture that minimizes fatherhood, dads need to know the tremendous influence they have in their sons’ and daughters’ lives and destinies, and they need encouragement from other dads as they lead their family. Sign up for the FamilyDads eNewsletter at http://www.FamilyDads.com